Sen. Markwayne Mullin Highlights New GOP Energy Reforms

Sen. Markwayne Mullin Highlights New GOP Energy Reforms
Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) asks questions to Dr. Richard Bright, former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing to discuss protecting scientific integrity in response to the coronavirus outbreak, in Washington on May 14, 2020. Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images
Ryan Morgan
Steve Lance
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Newly sworn-in Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) has been in the U.S. Senate for three weeks and he’s moving forward with his first legislative package, which is focused on expanding U.S. energy production and cross-border energy permits.

On Tuesday, Mullin introduced three new Senate bills focused on the energy sector. The first bill he introduced seeks to clarify that a state has the sole authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing—also known as fracking—on federal land within the boundaries of the state. Mullin’s second bill would give states further control over energy production on federal lands available to those states. His third bill would reform the process for permitting the construction and operation of cross-border oil and natural gas lines, with a goal to make the process more uniform and transparent.